Iris
by vts
Summary: Oneshot, formerly songfic. It's VDay, and Hiei considers telling Yukina that he's her brother. However, she thinks of him higher than he realizes. How will he react when he finds out?


**Iris**

7-1-05: I'm finally editing this so that it's no longer a songfic. I'm not risking my account being deleted.

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He was running, as was usual. The figure was black against the forest trees as he sprinted, his form barely visible even in the bright morning light. The sky was clear, free of any clouds that may dim the intensity of the azure sky above the land, and the wind was nearly nonexistent; the only thing that showed its presence was the barely-moving branches, bare of all fruit they once bared. However, the figure kept moving on, interrupting the daily order of life that tried to be as conforming as ever on this day.

Finally, he stopped, resting on a dying limb of an old tree. His black clothing absorbed the sunshine, and his crimson eyes looked at the house in front of him with a mixture of emotions. On one hand, the usual apathy and contempt that he held was amplified, as it just happened to be Valentine's Day – a day where humans celebrated the feeling of love and affection and everything associated with it. Normally, he would find it despicable; human emotion was not something that the half-Koorime was fond of. Perhaps it was because there would be nothing for him to celebrate, because there were few feelings that he did dare to expose, the few mainly being anger and rage.

However, there was a new war of emotions raging on in his mind. The glare that he once wore let up to just a stare as he looked ahead at the place where she would be. On this day of days, it would almost be perfect to tell her the truth: that he was her brother and that he was sorry. He could end her suffering, and dispel her longing for the one that she had been seeking out since ages ago. Could he be the one to make them all go away, with that one single confession?

He could tell her. It would all end; all of the days that she would go wondering what she did wrong and when she would find him, and the nightmares that he would have because of not telling her. Those would stop, and life would be better. It would work. It would –

No. Preposterous. The Jaganshi shook his head, cursing himself for thinking such things. If he did tell her, it would only dampen her spirits even more after all those years of searching. If she did have a brother, he was the last person that she would want him to be, right? After all, he was the Forbidden Child; she was nearly the very face of innocence itself. The pieces didn't fit. It wouldn't work at all.

Hiei closed his eyes for a time before he leapt away, putting the tree branch that had been ill for so long out of its misery. The only thing that he thought was that if circumstances had been different, he would have loved to tell her everything.

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It was Valentine's Day once more in the kitchen. The usual hustle and bustle that normally was the prelude to breakfast or lunch or dinner was now accompanying the usual tradition of making chocolates or other treats for the affection objects of certain people. The smell of chocolates, fruits, and roses were prominent in the room as a couple of girls rushed around, making sure that their gifts were absolutely perfect for their lovers. Only the best would prove satisfactory for them, as they were making these treats not only to make themselves happy, but to make others beam with joy.

Of the usual group of girls that were usually around the Tantei, there were only Shizuru, Yukina, and Keiko. All of them were making finishing touches on their gifts, using icing packets to make the letters on the giant hearts of fudge perfect and readable.

Under her cigarette, Shizuru managed a smile as she gazed upon her work, putting a dark red packet of icing aside. Keiko, noticing the cigarette in her companion's mouth, gave a scolding frown and proceeded to guard her project fiercely.

"Shizuru, do you have to smoke even while making food? What if the ashes get into it?"

She shook her head, managing a laugh. "You just worry about your own, all right? Besides, I'm being careful…"

Keiko's frown only deepened. "What if he doesn't approve? Wait…who're you giving it to, anyway?"

She only shook her head, giving another enigmatic smile and saying that it was a secret. Both of them laughed before turning to the ice maiden beside them, noticing that she was concentrating deeply in making her gift. The laughs subsided as they noticed the hopeful smile on her face, and that certain look in her eyes that they learned only came when she was talking happily about her brother and how she would find him soon.

It was Keiko who first spoke, already knowing the answer that was sure to come. "Yukina, who are you making that one for? You already made one for Kuwabara, so…"

The pale hand making the intricate designs stopped suddenly before finishing it up. As soon as that was done, the tube was discarded, a simple tool in a bigger cause. She rolled up a blue sleeve as she smiled up at the other two girls, the confidence in her voice never seeming to give way. "It's the first time that I've ever made something like this, and I want to make one for my brother. He's going to come soon, and I'd like to offer this to him. That's all I wish."

With that said, she went back to finishing the chocolate. Keiko and Shizuru only gave glances at each other, trying to bear the fact that almost everybody but Yukina knew who he was, and why he didn't show himself. They couldn't shatter hope like that, but they couldn't just tell her who it was that she was looking for, either. All they could do was nod their heads and agree that she'd find him soon, the forbidden truth echoing in their thoughts.

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The entire day seemed to last only a couple of minutes. Day turned to night in a blink, and the crescent moon lit up the sky. The stars twinkled in tune to a never-ending chorus, only to be blocked off by the light of the cities below. Throughout the course of daylight, the usual thing that happened every year repeated its cycle: candy, flowers, and cards were exchanged in the usual manner, and hearts were both broken and united in a span of a couple of hours.**

The Tantei decided to spend the night at Genkai's temple, a reward of sorts for their accomplishments and failures alike. Keiko had blushed furiously as she gave Yusuke her gift, who then just laughed; it was generally unknown who Shizuru had given her chocolate to, though if one were to look at the blush on Koenma's face, it would be obvious; and Kuwabara had received his chocolate from Yukina, who was then given a lecture on how the Great Kazuma Kuwabara would find her brother soon. Kurama was watching the television, Genkai was busy ordering food, and Botan was still out collecting the souls of the poor heartbroken souls who happened to fall into a quick depression and take their own lives out of spite.

Despite all of the activity, there were some who were still looking for some truth to their lives. Hiei had spent the day staring out a window at the world outside, contemplating what he had been thinking about earlier that day. It wouldn't have worked, would it have? No. Valentine's Day was about happiness; she wouldn't have been happy if she had found out that he of all people was the brother that she had been longing for all her years. As much as he hated to admit it, he thought that she was better off with Kuwabara than knowing that he was her brother.

Besides, he had made an oath; an oath that he couldn't break, no matter what. Underneath the white headband, his Jagan glowed faintly as he shut his eyes, silently watching each of his acquaintances in turn as they talked with others, having their conversations with fun and grace. It seemed that everybody but him had something to talk about. For a moment, it seemed as if he would have to go out and torture the oaf so that he could actually do something.

That all changed when the glow of his Jagan died, and he saw her coming around the corner. It was almost as if she was walking toward him, as if she actually wanted to talk to him.

No. She _was_.

Slowly, Hiei leaned back, swallowing a lump in his throat as he turned his head toward her. Yukina only smiled back, but despite the smile, there was a sad tale being told in those crimson eyes of innocence. Under her arms she held a heart-shaped box to her chest, almost as if she was treating it with the most loving care. At that moment, Hiei wished that he hadn't turned to face her, but it was too late.

There was an awkward silence in the room.

Yukina cleared her throat. "I'm sorry to bother you…"

Hiei shook his head. "Not at all." He wished that he hadn't said that; as soon as the words left his mouth, he could imagine one of those human neon lights above him, blinking "I'M YOUR BROTHER!" in giant letters. He couldn't remember ever being thrown into a situation like that; if so, he couldn't remember when it was.

The ice maiden's eyes were downcast. "I was sure that he would come today, but…I guess that he didn't…" she said, turning her head to the side.

He cringed slightly, not letting her see it. He stared ahead at the wall, trying to avoid her gaze. "Why are you talking to me?"

Yukina stiffened. "Well…Hiei-san, I made this chocolate for him, but he's not here. I know that this sounds a bit selfish, but I didn't really want to give it to anybody else…but, ah…" She looked up. "I know that this may sound silly, but I always thought that if I ever found my brother, he would be somebody like you." With those words, she timidly held out the box to him in an unsure offering. The box was an overall red, but the white ribbons that once adorned it so perfectly were squished from pressure. Noticing this, Yukina looked away, a bit embarrassed at offering such a meager gift to one who, in her opinion, was very well-respected.

Cautiously, Hiei took it, holding it so that he could see the designs more clearly. It was obvious that not only was the treat inside hand-made, but she had made even the box with such prudence that it showed. His mouth went dry, something that it barely did. He ran a finger over the frills and ribbons that were augmented with much caution, yet accidentally ripped one of the ribbons. Holding the box with both hands, he nodded to Yukina and left the room, the sound of a door opening signifying his leave.

Yukina was left stranded in the middle of the room. Did she accidentally offend him? Was the box put together enough? Was he angry because she held him in greater respect than others? Against her will, a single tear gem clattered the floor in the frustration that she didn't know what she did wrong. Quickly, she picked it up, and in good time, too. The rest of the crowd poured into the room at that moment, chatting excitedly about the presents and the gifts and whatnots. Putting a smile on her face, she joined the mindless babbling, trying to put the thought of the heart-shaped box out of her mind.

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Sitting on a new branch, the old one forgotten, Hiei still fingered the designs on the box that was offered to him. For once, he was stripped of all sarcasm and cynicism that he normally held within him. Slowly making his fingers around the edges of the box, he opened it, trying to be careful not to damage the chocolate gift inside.

The chocolate was also heart-shaped, with red roses around the edges. In the center was another outline, this time the color of mint green, and there was white lettering in the middle:

"I'm sorry that I couldn't see you for so long, but I'm glad that I found you, oniisan. I'm new to this, so I hope that I made this all right, but please accept this in apology. I love you."

Turning his head away, he slipped the cover back on the box. His thoughts of self-loathing intensified as he realized that it could have worked. It all didn't have to go on like this.

Holding the chocolate to his chest the way that his dear sister did, he slid back into the shadows of the night. If one were to listen closely at that moment, they would have heard the clinking of glass against wood as a single black tear gem fell into the darkness.

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End file.
